Category Archives: Future of the Profession

My Key Learnings as a Business Owner to Impart to Actuaries of the Future

How did being an actuary help me with starting my own company?  I founded my own actuarial consulting company, Actuarial Factor LLC, in 2014 and we are now going for our 10th year anniversary.  The discipline, the focus, and the determination required during the actuarial exam process were keys in tackling each aspect of my … Read more »

Celebrating the CAS Community: 10,000 Members and Counting!

CAS surpassed the 10,000 member mark this year! This is truly a milestone to be celebrated, as it is a testament to the value that the CAS members provide to our employers, our clients, the users of our services and ultimately to the public. As we celebrate this milestone, I also look to the future … Read more »

10,000 Members and Counting: A CAS Retrospective

  Congratulations to the CAS on achieving the 10,000 member milestone!  This event caused me to reminisce a bit on how our Society has evolved since I joined the ranks as a new Fellow in 1979 (Associate in 1975).  We were a much smaller Society back then; my fellowship class was 23 individuals (compared to … Read more »

Admissions, DE&I, and Member Engagement among Initiatives Discussed at November 2022 CAS Board Meeting

Our just-completed membership survey on member engagement showed an increased interest in transparency in CAS governance, so I’m publishing this Board meeting summary to make our stakeholders aware of the many strategic issues the Board is addressing. As you review the summary, if you have a reaction or suggestion for the Board to consider, please … Read more »

My 2022 Goals as CEO

As I begin my third year as chief executive officer of the CAS, I cannot express how much growth, energy and collaboration I have experienced over the past two years. When I look back at the start of 2020 and 2021, I think about how excited I was for the upcoming year and the possibilities … Read more »

Can Actuaries Make It in Non-Actuarial Roles?

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the 2021 CAS Spring meeting on the topic of “Business Analytics: What Does It Take for an Actuary to Succeed in Other Insurance Functions?” and thought I’d share some thoughts here as well. Actuaries are in a unique industry position. There are few other training paths that … Read more »

CAS Unveils New Three-Year Strategic Plan

As many CAS members know, the CAS has officially unveiled its new Strategic Plan. This plan is the culmination of an extraordinary amount of careful thought, discussion and decision making. At the time I officially began my role at the CAS this past January, we could not have anticipated the enormous challenges this year would … Read more »

Disability in the Workplace

This year will undoubtedly be one for the history books for many reasons – the political landscape and related policy discussions, social and racial unrest and the new realities of COVID-19. As a result, we’ve all had opportunities to gain new perspectives that help our individual growth. One of my most meaningful learnings from the … Read more »

Being Mentored

“I don’t know why I failed,” I groaned.  “How much did you study?” he asked.  I responded, “A lot!”  “Did you keep track of how many hours you studied?” he followed up.  “No, I guess I should,” and the lightbulb went on. Mentors have helped me immensely along my journey as an actuary.  I am … Read more »

Why I Mentor

A friend, David, asked me recently, “Why do you mentor?”It was during a casual conversation and I gave a casual answer, “Because someone asked me to mentor.”  As I reflected on the conversation later, however, I realized that my response while mostly true did not give David very useful insight into my motivations and passions … Read more »